Names and Faces

Popp Joins Department of Neurosurgery

Albert John Popp, MD, was appointed to the Department of Neurosurgery in March and will serve as Neurosurgery's residency program director and help the department foster various clinical, teaching and research components.

"I hope that my expertise and clinical interest spearhead outreach programs that will broaden the relationships with other institutions across the country," Popp said.

Prior to BWH, Popp practiced at the Albany Medical Center, where he served as the head of Neurosurgery, was the program director of the Neurosurgery Residency Training Program, the director of the Neurosciences Institute and served as the Henry and Sally Schaffer Chair of Surgery.

His clinical interests include general neurosurgery and the treatment of aneurysms, vascular malformations and brain tumors. Over his career, he has received NIH funding for his research, and he has been successful in fund raising.

Popp is a past president of the Society of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has served as a director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, treasurer of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, president of the New York State Neurological Society and chairman of the Washington Committee for Neurosurgery. He is a member of the Residency Review Committee for neurological surgery of the American Council of Graduate Medical Education and is secretary of the WFNS Annual Meeting in Boston 2009.

Ashley Named ACS Surgery Editor-in-Chief

Stanley W. Ashley, MD, FACS, was named editor-in-chief for ACS Surgery Principles & Practice, the official publication of the American College of Surgeons. Ashley is the Frank Sawyer Professor, vice-chairman of the Department of Surgery, and program director of BWH's General Surgery Residency Program. He is also chief of General Surgery for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. Ashley is a gastrointestinal surgeon whose primary interests are diseases of the pancreas and inflammatory bowel disease. In his research, which has been funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs and the National Institutes of Health, he examines the pathophysiology of the small bowel and pancreas. An author of more than 200 journal articles, he serves on numerous editorial boards, including the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Journal of the American College of Surgeons and Current Problems in Surgery. He is a director of the American Board of Surgery and member of the Board of Trustees of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.

Pomahac Named Medical Director of BWH Burn Center

Plastic surgeon Bohdan Pomahac, MD, earlier this year was named medical director for The Burn Center. Under Pomahac's leadership, the Burn Center, housed within the division of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care, will continue its mission of providing treatment and follow-up for patients with minor to severe burns, as well as those who have suffered from burn injury and seek a better functional and aesthetic outcome. Pomahac, who assumed the role of director Jan. 1, will also lead the institution through its America College of Surgeons/American Burn Association burn center re-verification site visit in June.

Pomahac is a graduate of Palacky University School of Medicine in the Czech Republic and completed his residency in Plastic Surgery at BWH. He is also an assistant professor in surgery at HMS. In April, Pomahac led a surgical team to perform the first partial face transplant in New England and second in the U.S.

Johnson Recieves the 2009 Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award

Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, director of Women's Health at BWH, in May received this year's Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award. Presented by the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the award is given annually to a person who has shown extraordinary commitment to bringing public health principles and partnerships into the practice of medicine. Johnson is being honored for her innovative and interdisciplinary approach to women's health, her commitment to advocacy for changes in public policy to improve women's health, and her work addressing the health of women globally and training the next generation of leadership in women's health.

Mannick Awarded First Scientific Leadership Award

John Mannick, MD, surgeon-in-chief Emeritus at BWH and a consultant to the Division of Thoracic Surgery, was awarded the first ever Scientific Leadership Award during an annual meeting of the Surgical Infection Society of North America, held in Chicago last month. This award was presented to Mannick for his career long contributions to the understanding of surgical infections and for his mentorship of colleagues in the field of infection science.

Lambert Honored for Excellence in Primary Care

Michael Lambert, MD, is the recipient of the first Thomas H. Lee, M.D. Award for Excellence in Primary Care. This new award recognizes Lambert, a PCP at Southern Jamaica Plain, for providing exceptional service and compassionate care to his patients. The award aims to provide an opportunity to honor these special physicians, celebrate successes, and inspire others to pursue careers in primary care.

Loughlin Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Kevin R. Loughlin, MD, MBA, was awarded the American Urological Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the practice of urology. This is only the third time that this award has been given to an individual. The award was presented to Loughlin during a recent association meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition, Loughlin is serving as president of the New England Section of the AUA this year.

Sackstein Elected Member of AAP

Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, of the Department of Dermatology, was elected member of the Association of American Physicians, a nonprofit, professional organization, composed of about 1,000 active members and approximately 550 emeritus and honorary members. Sackstein is recognized for having achieved excellence in the pursuit of medical knowledge, advancement through experimentation and discovery of basic and clinical knowledge and their application to clinical medicine.

Tan Receives Damon Runyon Fellowship

Xu Tan, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine, was named one of 13 new Damon Runyon Fellows by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. This three-year award is given to outstanding postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators across the country. Tan, with his sponsor Stephen J. Elledge, PhD, also of BWH, is studying the role of the BRCA1 gene - which has been linked to familial breast cancer - in order to identify genes that act with BRCA1, which could explain the specific effect of BRCA1 mutations on breast tissue carcinogenesis.

Shenton Named Distinguished Investigator Award

Martha E. Shenton, PhD, director of the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, received the 2009 Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression, the largest non-governmental, donor-supported organization that distributes funds for brain and behavior disorders research. The one-year, $100,000 award provides support for established scientists pursuing innovative projects in neurobiological research relevant to schizophrenia, mood disorders or other serious mental illnesses including research with anxiety, bipolar disorders, personality disorders or child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.

Shulman Awarded Fellowship

Joshua Shulman, MD, PhD, a senior neurology resident at BWH, received the 2009 Robert Katzman Clinical Research Training Fellowship awarded by the American Academy of Neurology Foundation and the Alzheimer's Association. The two-year, $130,000 fellowship was created to encourage Alzheimer's disease clinical research with the goal of providing better treatment, and finding ways to prevent and cure the disease. Shulman received the award during the American Academy of Neurology's 61st annual meeting in Seattle this spring.